Hi!

To answer some of your comments:

>Perhaps it is "reasonable to the buyer" but I 
>ask you as well as everyone on the forum to 
>consider this. Certain dealer's charge so much 
>for cels such as the one's previously mentioned 
>[i.e. specifically for Escaflowne TV: Serena, 
>Varie, Van w/wings] simply b/c we as collectors 
>aren't willing to essentially boycott getting 
>fleeced! 

Hey, you won't get an argument from me there. I 
thought they were overpriced and I didn't buy 
them for that reason. However, there are other 
buyers with more money than I have who thought 
they were reasonably priced or had to have them 
and bought them.

Plus, what determines the price on a cel? There 
are no price guides that determine what a cel is 
worth. I'm an antique dealer and use price guides 
to determine the current market on items and what 
I can afford to buy and sell at what price. Price 
guides use current auction prices, etc. to 
determine market value. Cels have no such thing. 
So, how do you decide what a cel's worth? Right 
now, it's supply and demand. 

>Now I realize there are collector's who don't
>mind paying $900.  for a TV cel w/o a 
>background, BUT... does a mere TV cel warrent 
>that high of a price, probably not.

It depends on the cel. It goes on supply and 
demand. A Folken/wings cel can sell for thousands 
of dollars. I've seen it. However, a Van cel can 
sell for $100 or less. Does a Totoro cel demand 
thousands? Like I said before, it comes down to 
the buyer who will pay it.

Plus, I think some cel dealers are using Yahoo 
Japan to price Esca cels. You should see some of 
the prices they've been getting on Esca cels on 
there. 

>Similiarly, since I'm on a price/value 
>comparison... if one were to compare this to a  
>good such as milk, it is reasonable to find 
>consumers not willing to pay $20.00 for a gallon 
>of milk or a dozen eggs, b/c they know the 
>seller's are in many ways dependent upon them & 
>that the price being asked is unreasonable, not 
>to mentioned not equal to the goods actual 
>worth. 

But don't forget that competition and 
availability will also drive the price down or up 
on a product. If ONE dealer has ONE cel of a 
particular character, the price will go up. If 5 
dealers have the same cel, a collector can choose 
to buy it from the person who is selling it for 
the least money.

>Maybe I am just a women who doesn't wish to be 
>paying tooth and nail for a cel, regardless how 
>beautiful it may be. 

That's fine. Stick to your principles. You 
probably have more money saved than all of us. :)

Deb